Kent State University names Virginia Commonwealth provost its next president

Kent State University has named Beverly J. Warren, now provost and senior vice president of Virginia Commonwealth University, as its 12th president.

Dr. Warren will start in her new role July 1. She will take over for Lester Lefton, who has served as the university's chief executive since July 2006. She will earn a base salary of $450,000. Dr. Lefton's annual salary is $417,799.

“It is a high honor and a privilege to be selected as Kent State University's next president,” Dr. Warren said in a news release. “This institution is experiencing tremendous momentum as a result of the dedicated and focused leadership of President Lefton and the board of trustees.”

In the release, Dr. Warren called Kent State an “institution on the rise.” She said it was her goal to be a “collaborative leader who is instrumental and inspirational in clearly defining a shared vision and a sense of community that brings new meaning to our own lives while we strive to improve the lives of those we serve.”

Jane Murphy Timken, chairwoman of the university's board of trustees, said in the release that Dr. Warren is “ideally suited to build upon the great platform that President Lefton has established over the past eight years.”

Dr. Warren is a higher education veteran with more than 25 years in leadership experience. She has served as Virginia Commonwealth's provost since 2011. She joined the university in 2000 as a professor and head of its school of education's division of health, physical education and recreation. She took over the deanship of the school in 2007 after serving in an interim capacity since 2005, and as associate dean for faculty affairs since 2003.

Prior to joining Virginia Commonwealth, Dr. Warren worked as a professor at Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., and as an associate professor and director of graduate programs at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. She also served on the faculty at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., Smith College in Northampton, Mass., and the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Ala.

Dr. Warren holds a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her master's degree from Southern Illinois University. In addition, she holds two doctorates — an Ed.D in higher education administration from the University of Alabama and a Ph.D in exercise physiology from Auburn.

In the release, Virginia Commonwealth president Michael Rao said Dr. Warren “leave a legacy of excellent and unselfish service as one of VCU's greatest academic leaders.”

Dr. Warren's appointment kicks off a series of coming leadership changes at Northeast Ohio colleges and universities. University of Akron president Luis Proenza announced in August he would step down from the presidency this summer. Hiram College president Thomas Chema and Notre Dame College president Andrew Roth also recently announced plans to retire.

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